Investment management marketing tool

• US 8,780,115 B1
• Filed: 04/06/2010
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.
• Inventors: Mackrell, Bryan L., Ford, Isabel, Koch, Erin
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kimbinh T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Isanians, Raffi
• Application Number:
  US12/754,974
• Time in Patent Office: 1,561 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/440
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis

Abstract

An apparatus for marketing investment services comprising a display screen aligned along a vertical axis and a horizontal axis, a position detector, and a computer device. The computer device may receive at least one signal from the position detector indicating a position of a viewer relative to the display screen in the horizontal axis and a perpendicular distance of the viewer from the display screen; cause the display screen to display a user interface. The user interface may comprise an age scale aligned with the horizontal axis, an asset scale aligned with the vertical axis and a chart of assets versus age. Upon determining that the perpendicular distance of the viewer from the display screen is less than a predetermined value, the computer device modify the interface to display an element at a first position on the age scale corresponding to a position of the viewer relative to the display screen in the horizontal axis.

Claims

1. An apparatus for marketing investment services, the apparatus comprising:

a display screen aligned along a first axis and a second axis;

a position detector;

a computer device in electronic communication with the position detector and the display screen, wherein the computer device comprises at least one processor and operatively associated data storage, wherein the data storage comprises instructions thereon that, when executed by the at least one processor cause the computer device to;

receive at least one signal from the position detector indicating a position of a viewer relative to the display screen in the first axis and a perpendicular distance of the viewer from the display screen; and

send at least one electronic signal to the display screen, wherein the at least one electronic signal causes the display screen to display a user interface, wherein the user interface comprises an age scale aligned with the first axis, an asset scale aligned with the second axis and a chart of assets versus age; and

upon determining that the perpendicular distance of the viewer from the display screen is less than a predetermined value, modify the interface to display an element at a first position on the age scale corresponding to a position of the viewer relative to the display screen in the first axis, wherein the element comprises information describing at least one of an investment-related event occurring at the first position on the age scale and an investment-related service related to the first position on the age scale; and

determine whether the viewer is a customer of a financial institution; and

upon determining that the viewer is a customer of the financial institution, modify with the computer device the interface to display the element in a configuration according to investment-related service information associated with the customer of the financial institution; and

wherein the investment-related service information is at least one of details about how the investment-related service could help the viewer open an investment account, details about how to select a contribution plan for the investment account, and details about how to choose funds for the investment account.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data storage further comprises instructions thereon that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computer device to:

receive at least a second signal from the position detector indicating a second position of the viewer relative to the display screen in the first axis and a perpendicular distance of the viewer from the display screen, wherein the second position of the viewer is different than the first position relative to the first axis, and wherein the perpendicular distance of the viewer from the display screen at the second position is less than the predetermined value;

display a second element at a second position on the age scale corresponding to the position of the viewer relative to the first axis at the second position; and

wherein the second element comprises information describing at least one of a second investment-related event occurring at the second position on the age scale, and a second investment-related service related to the second position on the age scale; and

wherein the second element is different from the first element.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first axis is horizontal.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second axis is vertical.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data storage further comprises instructions thereon that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computer device to:

receive at least one signal from the position detector indicating a position of a second viewer relative to the display screen in the first axis and a perpendicular distance of the second viewer from the display screen; and

upon determining that the perpendicular distance of the second viewer from the display screen is less than a predetermined value, modify the interface to display a second element at a second position on the age scale corresponding to a position of the second viewer relative to the display screen in the first axis, wherein the second element comprises information describing an investment-related event occurring at the second position on the age scale.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the first element and the second element are displayed simultaneously.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data storage further comprises instructions thereon that, when executed by the at least one processor cause the computer device to modify a size of the element based on the perpendicular distance of the viewer from the display screen.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the data storage further comprises instructions thereon that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computer device to make the size of the element larger when the perpendicular distance decreases.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the data storage further comprises instructions thereon that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computer device to make the size of the element smaller when the perpendicular distance increases.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the position detector comprises a plurality of detector elements.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the plurality of position detector elements are positioned at different locations proximate the display screen.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data storage further comprises instructions thereon that, when executed by the at least one processor cause the computer device to derive the position of the viewer relative to the display screen in the second axis and the perpendicular distance of the viewer from the display screen from the at least one signal from the position detector.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data storage further comprises instructions thereon that, when executed by the at least one processor cause the computer device to modify a resolution of the element based on the perpendicular distance of the viewer from the display screen.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the data storage further comprises instructions thereon that, when executed by the at least one processor cause the computer device to increase the resolution of the element when the perpendicular distance decreases.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the data storage further comprises instructions thereon that, when executed by the at least one processor cause the computer device to decrease the resolution of the element when the perpendicular distance increases.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the predetermined value is a first predetermined value and wherein the computer device, upon determining that the perpendicular distance of the viewer from the display screen is less than a second predetermined value, modifies the interface to display a more detailed version of the element.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein computer device determines whether the viewer is a customer of the financial institution based on at least one of facial matching, radio frequency identification, and a card reader.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the element describes an investment-related event occurring at the first position on the age scale.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the element describes an investment-related service related to the first position on the age scale.